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Monday, January 23, 2012

playing

I've had my cool colored solid scraps set aside for quite awhile now and I've been wanting to play with them in the worst way, but it seems like there is always something more pressing that needs to be done. I recently signed up for the Fab Little Quilt Swap and I'm using that as an excuse to finally dive in. Yay!! I'm trying my hand at improv piecing again and I'm feeling very rusty. It's been awhile! Swaps make me a little (ok, a lot) nervous and I feel like the pressure is on. But on the other hand, it will be a good challenge. The biggest challenge will probably be stopping at a mini quilt size. :) I'm not completely sure where this is headed, but it sure is fun to play!

I also wanted to say thanks so much for all your sweet comments about Hailey's pillow...I appreciate them very, very much!

I am so glad to see you say you are nervous, I have just signed up for my first swap, and I am terrified! So I feel reassured that you are nervous too. I know whatever you make will be great, but not so sure about me!-it's ok, though, different swap.

I just read a really interesting post about using scraps. Completely Cauchy said, "You control the fabrics that comprise the block. That is, you choose your color/print palette. If two fabrics clash then they will continue to clash after piecing. In some instances, you don’t control which fabrics end up next to each other. So choose ones you like together.

You control the quality of the piecing. Make sure your seams are straight, press seams after each new addition, and periodically square up. There will inevitably be a wonky quality to your piecing, but “wonky” does not mean “sloppy.”

You control your ability to have fun. Relax. There are almost no mistakes in improvisational piecing. Just follow your instincts and moderate your expectations."(google her blog and Scraptacularity for more.

As for swaps with strangers, I'm not there yet. I am nervous enough about giving to people I know. :-) Good for you!